http://fora.tv/2009/08/06/MythBusters_Just_the_Facts#fullprogram
Hour long (or you can watch it in chunks) interview of Adam and Jamie--I swear it's the most I've ever heard Jamie talk :).
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
The Great Lemon-Lime Taste Test
We were in Target one afternoon picking up the usual supplies. I'm not even sure how the conversation started, but we got the idea that we should have a lemon-lime soda taste test. I was adament that my favorite was Sprite--Rob's favorite was Sierra Mist. "I bet you can't even tell the difference..." ...and the challenge was on.I don't drink much lemon-lime soda....but it's Rob's favorite kind of soda. So we set out to test if we could tell the difference between the 3 top brands in a blind taste test. We also marked which of the three were our favorites.
Rob went first. He accurately distinguished all three and correctly chose his presumed favorite. I went second, and only got my favorite right. I confused Sierra Mist and 7up (I remembered 7up as having a stronger flavor).
The consensus: We both liked 7up the least. Rob was in favor of the stronger flavors of Sierra Mist, and I approved of the smoother flavor of Sprite.
Rob gets the bragging rights though--he won the Lemon-Lime taste test challenge. Cola next?
P.S. Like my new Hickory Park Pepsi Glasses? :)
Monday, August 3, 2009
Weekend
This weekend Rob went pain(t)balling with co-workers (all of his welts went away after a day, so I don't have any fun bruise photos to post). I think he had a good time :).While Rob was paintballing, his friend Beth from college came to town. Beth's family was having a reunion/anniversary party for her grandparents in Waukee (which is one suburb to the west of here). So we got to hang out at the family reunion and play some games and catch up. Was great to see Beth again since she currently lives in Arkansas.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Haring Reunion
This weekend we traveled to the Minneapolis suburbs to attend a family reunion for my Mom's side of the family. All of my aunts and uncles and their kids were in attendance...it's been about 3 years since we were all in the same place at the same time. In addition to the imediate family, many of my mom's cousins and my great uncle Les came for the weekend. It was a great chance to see everyone and play some board games ;).
Things I learned this weekend:
*If Grandpa Dick were still alive, he would have turned 100 this June
*Uncle Les is 89 and still plays golf 5 days a week
*Bananagrams was a hit with my family...both young and old(ish)
*Hopkins, MN has some nice antique stores
*I don't know how to spell referee (is that right? I'm not sure.)
*There must be some trick to Pandemic that we don't know about...because we've failed to cure the world of Swine Flu all three times I've played it
Pictures from the weekend:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarahjanesetnes/sets/72157621859980444/
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Honey Creek
We just got back from a few days at Honey Creek State Park Resort on Rathbun Lake. Which is a brand spanking new resort owned by the Iowa DNR. Rathbun Lake, like most of the lakes in Iowa, is a flood control reservoir. Most of the shoreline property is public land. The state has taken advantage of this by creating a state park resort (which apparently a handful of other states have also done). The south side of Rathbun lake has some Army Corp of Engineers controlled parks and camping...the DNR has a portion of the north side of the lake covered by both a regular state park and this new resort.
A couple of frustrating things about Rathbun lake: there are very few places you can actually access the water--there was only one swimming beach open while we were there and it was at one of the Army Corps parks. Honey Creek State Park's camping spots are entirely surrounded by trees and the only way you can see the lake or the park's namesake creek inlet is to hike out on various trails to the water's edge. It's kind of nice and rustic on one hand, and completely frustrating on the other. My idea of a nice day at the lake is to be in the water...and since we don't own a boat...that was pretty much impossible at Honey Creek. They are building a swimming beach at the resort...and a walking bridge to connect the resort to the state park (which are separated by water)....but that, along with a playground and picnic area and a whole lot of landscaping, have not been completed yet. Both Rob and I expect Honey Creek to be in extreme demand in a few years.
What Honey Creek Resort does have right now is a lovely hotel, a small water park (indoor waterslide and miniature lazy river), a large marina, a bunch of large cabins, a golf course, a restaurant, and access to a ton of rentals (boats, jet skis, kayaks, etc...). It would be an excellent location for a large family or business gathering.
We had a great time on our little getaway...even if beach time wasn't involved (at least I didn't get sunburned...and we did go swimming at the hotel to make up for it). We made a point to drive through and stop at several small Iowa towns. We did a little shopping in Centerville and I was reminded how much I enjoy small town Wal-marts...and antiques (I didn't make Rob do too much of this :). On our way home we went a few miles out of our way so that we could stop in Pella and pick up some pastries at the Jaarsma Bakery (well worth it, I might add).
A few pictures from our trip: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarahjanesetnes/sets/72157621642620477/
Tomorrow we are on the road again, this time for a family reunion in Minneapolis.
A couple of frustrating things about Rathbun lake: there are very few places you can actually access the water--there was only one swimming beach open while we were there and it was at one of the Army Corps parks. Honey Creek State Park's camping spots are entirely surrounded by trees and the only way you can see the lake or the park's namesake creek inlet is to hike out on various trails to the water's edge. It's kind of nice and rustic on one hand, and completely frustrating on the other. My idea of a nice day at the lake is to be in the water...and since we don't own a boat...that was pretty much impossible at Honey Creek. They are building a swimming beach at the resort...and a walking bridge to connect the resort to the state park (which are separated by water)....but that, along with a playground and picnic area and a whole lot of landscaping, have not been completed yet. Both Rob and I expect Honey Creek to be in extreme demand in a few years.
What Honey Creek Resort does have right now is a lovely hotel, a small water park (indoor waterslide and miniature lazy river), a large marina, a bunch of large cabins, a golf course, a restaurant, and access to a ton of rentals (boats, jet skis, kayaks, etc...). It would be an excellent location for a large family or business gathering.
We had a great time on our little getaway...even if beach time wasn't involved (at least I didn't get sunburned...and we did go swimming at the hotel to make up for it). We made a point to drive through and stop at several small Iowa towns. We did a little shopping in Centerville and I was reminded how much I enjoy small town Wal-marts...and antiques (I didn't make Rob do too much of this :). On our way home we went a few miles out of our way so that we could stop in Pella and pick up some pastries at the Jaarsma Bakery (well worth it, I might add).
A few pictures from our trip: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarahjanesetnes/sets/72157621642620477/
Tomorrow we are on the road again, this time for a family reunion in Minneapolis.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
HyVee's New Website
I really like HyVee's new online list feature.
http://hy-vee.gsnrecipes.com/Shop/WeeklyAd.aspx
It allows you to click on the pictures from the weekly ads and automatically create a list. You can also add your own items and select online coupons from various vendors. You can even e-mail the list to someone if you'd like. Super handy.
http://hy-vee.gsnrecipes.com/Shop/WeeklyAd.aspx
It allows you to click on the pictures from the weekly ads and automatically create a list. You can also add your own items and select online coupons from various vendors. You can even e-mail the list to someone if you'd like. Super handy.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Birthdays, Art, Summer....
We've been busy the last couple of weeks. We celebrated both of our birthdays. The weather has gone from cool and rainy to disgustingly hot and humid to what could only be described as beautiful summer weather (78-85 with lower humidity...good stuff I tell ya!).
For our birthdays we went mini-golfing and to a couple of movies. We went shopping and out to eat. They were nice quiet celebrations at home.
A few photos from our B-days:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarahjanesetnes/sets/72157620635733791/
This last weekend we went to the Des Moines summer arts festival...which seems to be this odd contradiction of sorts. It's a celebrated artsy community event...but it draws mostly upper class suburbanites--because the art is very expensive. I was used to the arts fest in Brookings, SD which is like a county fair without the rides but with lots of arts and crafts and antiques. It's a good time in the park--lots of people and music and fun...It's a fun family event...and the artists are very talented but charge considerably less. The Des Moines arts festival with its Jazz and Wine pavilion...is not really my style. Nevertheless, we had a good afternoon looking at art and I had a delicious gyro and came home with a couple of small prints and a bag of kettle corn. :)
A few pictures from the arts festival:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarahjanesetnes/sets/72157620562406227/
For our birthdays we went mini-golfing and to a couple of movies. We went shopping and out to eat. They were nice quiet celebrations at home.
A few photos from our B-days:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarahjanesetnes/sets/72157620635733791/
This last weekend we went to the Des Moines summer arts festival...which seems to be this odd contradiction of sorts. It's a celebrated artsy community event...but it draws mostly upper class suburbanites--because the art is very expensive. I was used to the arts fest in Brookings, SD which is like a county fair without the rides but with lots of arts and crafts and antiques. It's a good time in the park--lots of people and music and fun...It's a fun family event...and the artists are very talented but charge considerably less. The Des Moines arts festival with its Jazz and Wine pavilion...is not really my style. Nevertheless, we had a good afternoon looking at art and I had a delicious gyro and came home with a couple of small prints and a bag of kettle corn. :)
A few pictures from the arts festival:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarahjanesetnes/sets/72157620562406227/
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Des Moines's Best Onion Rings
Each year Cityview (a free local publication) puts together a list of the metro's best everything (from restaurants to minigolf). The readers vote, and an issue in February releases the results.
Cityview's Best of Issue:
http://www.dmcityview.com/best_of/index.shtml
We were interested in the restaurant results because we hadn't heard of most of them. Our favorite asian restaurant won "runner-up" for best Vietnamese, and that was pretty much the only one we had been to. A West Des Moines restaurant called Maxie's Lounge won best onion rings and runner-up in several categories including best hamburger and best overall restaurant. So, we thought we'd give Maxie's a try.
From the categories that Maxie's won in, I was expecting a diner. But it was a nice sit down restuarant with a full bar. The night that we went was all you can eat spaghetti night. Rob had the spaghetti that came with a salad and some bread for $5.99. I had a hamburger and the infamous onion rings which goes for 7.99. These were some of the least expensive things on the menu. They had a wide range of dishes including steak, ribs, and lobster. Overall the food was good, but not great. The service was friendly, though a bit slow (they were busy because of the spaghetti supper). We will definitely go back again to try more items from their menu.
But, on the matter of the onion rings, I must flat out disagree. The onion rings from Cheddars are far better. The onion rings at Maxie's are pretty good. They very thinly cut strips of battered onion. They were so thin, though, that they were difficult to eat and needed to be scooped up in handfulls.
Our next stop for onion rings--The Drake Diner (they were runner-up).
Cityview's Best of Issue:
http://www.dmcityview.com/best_of/index.shtml
We were interested in the restaurant results because we hadn't heard of most of them. Our favorite asian restaurant won "runner-up" for best Vietnamese, and that was pretty much the only one we had been to. A West Des Moines restaurant called Maxie's Lounge won best onion rings and runner-up in several categories including best hamburger and best overall restaurant. So, we thought we'd give Maxie's a try.
From the categories that Maxie's won in, I was expecting a diner. But it was a nice sit down restuarant with a full bar. The night that we went was all you can eat spaghetti night. Rob had the spaghetti that came with a salad and some bread for $5.99. I had a hamburger and the infamous onion rings which goes for 7.99. These were some of the least expensive things on the menu. They had a wide range of dishes including steak, ribs, and lobster. Overall the food was good, but not great. The service was friendly, though a bit slow (they were busy because of the spaghetti supper). We will definitely go back again to try more items from their menu.
But, on the matter of the onion rings, I must flat out disagree. The onion rings from Cheddars are far better. The onion rings at Maxie's are pretty good. They very thinly cut strips of battered onion. They were so thin, though, that they were difficult to eat and needed to be scooped up in handfulls.
Our next stop for onion rings--The Drake Diner (they were runner-up).
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Friend Feed.
I started an account on Friend Feed because Leo Laporte uses it and because I'm easily suggestable when it comes to trying new stuff on the internet, and because I trust Leo's opinions on computer and technology stuffs.
Friend Feed is a cool website that allows you to mash together all of your feeds...from everything: Twitter, Google Reader Shared Items, Facebook Updates/Links/Notes, pretty much any Blog, Bookmarking/Posting Websites like Delicious, Digg, Pandora, Netflix Ratings, Flickr Photo feeds etc....
You have one feed to show your friends and you can see all of their feeds in one place instead of hopping from site to site. There are really only two problems with this. One--your friends need to have accounts in order for it to be worthwhile. And two--it kind of makes me feel like I've slathered myself all over the internet...and not in a good way.
So the jury is still out....much like it is for Twitter--which I only have an account on because so many companies and celebrities are using it now--I think I am following 5 people that I actually know. Part of me just wants to delete every account I have except facebook and my blog...and email...and...damn, there's no way out is there? :)
Friend Feed is a cool website that allows you to mash together all of your feeds...from everything: Twitter, Google Reader Shared Items, Facebook Updates/Links/Notes, pretty much any Blog, Bookmarking/Posting Websites like Delicious, Digg, Pandora, Netflix Ratings, Flickr Photo feeds etc....
You have one feed to show your friends and you can see all of their feeds in one place instead of hopping from site to site. There are really only two problems with this. One--your friends need to have accounts in order for it to be worthwhile. And two--it kind of makes me feel like I've slathered myself all over the internet...and not in a good way.
So the jury is still out....much like it is for Twitter--which I only have an account on because so many companies and celebrities are using it now--I think I am following 5 people that I actually know. Part of me just wants to delete every account I have except facebook and my blog...and email...and...damn, there's no way out is there? :)
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)